We recently published a list of the 10 Best Nuclear Energy Stocks to Buy According to Billionaires. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) stands against other best nuclear stocks.
Nuclear power now provides just under 10% of the global electricity supply, becoming the second-largest source of low-emission electricity in the world. This number is expected to grow significantly, as according to the International Energy Agency, over 70 GW of new nuclear capacity is under construction globally, while more than 40 countries around the world have plans to expand nuclear’s role in their energy systems. Nuclear energy also provided over 19% of the United States’ electricity in 2024, despite representing less than 8% of the country’s total operating capacity.
READ ALSO: 11 Best Solar Energy Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds
Nuclear power has also emerged as a forerunner for powering the ongoing AI boom and its accompanying data centers. According to the latest estimates by Deloitte, data center electricity demand could rise fivefold by 2035, reaching 176 GW. Approximately 10% of this demand is projected to be met by nuclear energy. Just last month, several tech giants met on the sidelines of the CERAWeek conference in Houston and signed a pledge to support the goal of at least tripling the world’s nuclear energy capacity by 2050.
Yet, the issue is that many of these projects will take years to construct, with some of them even a decade or more away. They also cost billions of dollars and often face challenges related to construction timelines and cost overruns, which can hinder their economic viability and competitiveness. A solution to this has emerged in the form of SMRs, or small modular reactors, that have a power capacity of up to 300 MW per unit and are quicker to build with greater scope for cost reductions. Moreover, they can be factory-built from standard parts and are touted as flexible enough to plunk down for a single customer, like a data center or an industrial complex. The IEA estimates that with the right support, SMR installations could reach 80 GW by 2040, accounting for 10% of the overall nuclear capacity globally.
Despite a record surge in demand, a large number of nuclear energy stocks have witnessed a significant decline over the last year due to the declining price of uranium, which has fallen by around 37% since January 2024. Part of this stems from increasing tensions between the US and Canada, which is the largest supplier of uranium to its southern neighbor. Another reason behind the low uranium price is believed to be the potential lifting of sanctions on Russia, which was the largest supplier of enriched uranium to the US commercial sector in 2022 and 2023.
However, the country banned the import of Russian uranium last year, with the aim of incentivizing domestic manufacturing. The Department of Energy was also awarded $2.7 billion in funding, in an attempt to spur the growth of the US nuclear fuel supply chain. As a result, five US facilities in Wyoming and Texas have spurred a 24% increase in domestic uranium production throughout 2024. Moreover, after President Trump recently ordered a probe into potentially imposing tariffs on critical mineral imports, including uranium, investors are piling in to acquire stakes in domestic uranium companies.
Our Methodology
To collect data for this article, we scanned Insider Monkey’s database of billionaires and picked the top 10 companies operating in the nuclear power sector with the highest number of hedge fund investors in Q4 of 2024. When two or more companies had the same number of billionaires investing in them, we ranked them by their market cap as of the writing of this piece. The following are the Best Nuclear Energy Stocks According to Billionaires.
At Insider Monkey, we are obsessed with the stocks that hedge funds pile into. The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).
Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)
Number of Billionaire Holders: 25
Topping our list of the Best Nuclear Energy Stocks to Buy Now is Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST), the largest competitive power generator in the US with a capacity of approximately 41,000 MW, powered by a diverse portfolio that includes natural gas, coal, nuclear, solar, and battery energy storage facilities.
Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) reported an EPS of $2.41 in Q4 2024, in line with market expectations. However, the company’s revenue of $4.04 billion managed to top estimates by $124 million, besides being up by 31.16%. Vistra’s adjusted core profit from continuing operations during the quarter rose to $1.99 billion, compared to $965 million the previous year, as strong electricity demand from AI data centers helped boost its earnings. The company also maintains a strong balance sheet, generating an operating cash flow of over $4.56 billion in 2024 and ending the year with $1.2 billion in cash on hand. Moreover, VST has committed to a minimum of $2.25 billion in share buybacks through 2025, with an additional $1 billion targeted.
Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) started 2024 with ‘only’ 2.4 GW of nuclear generation capacity but significantly added to that figure with the completion of a deal to acquire Energy Harbor in March. The deal added 4 GW of nuclear generation capacity to the company’s portfolio, making it the owner of the second-largest competitive nuclear fleet in the US.
ClearBridge Investments stated the following regarding Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) in its Q1 2025 investor letter:
“Volatility also created entry points to motivate our first purchase in the utility sector, Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST), as well as reduce our underweight to the consumer discretionary sector with the addition of CAVA Group. Vistra is the largest competitive power generator in the U.S. with a 41 GW fleet of power plants diversified by geography and fuel sources. Long-term fundamentals of the deregulated power markets remain constructive with Vistra well positioned to benefit from continued tightening in its primary PJM (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland Interconnection) and ERCOT (Texas) markets. Pending regulatory clarity could also pave the way for additional power purchase agreements with hyperscalers and act as a positive catalyst for independent power producer stocks. These agreements, in combination with federal subsidies for nuclear plants, have the potential to improve visibility and lower earnings variability across the industry.”
Overall, VST ranks 1st on our list of the best nuclear energy stocks to buy according to billionaires. While we acknowledge the potential of VST to grow, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than VST but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.
READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires.
Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
